O.J. Simpson's dramatic journey from sports legend to prison inmate

O.J. Simpson's life changed forever 30 years ago. Americans were horrified to see that the former NFL superstar was fleeing the authorities in a White Bronco vehicle. The story captured the public’s attention for years to come. How could someone so popular have lost everything so quickly? Football statistics are sourced from Football Reference.

Orenthal James Simpson’s story begins on July 9, 1947 in San Francisco. It didn’t take long to realize that O.J., as he was called for short, brought the juice when it came to athletics.

He was virtually unstoppable, bringing a special blend of unique power, speed and agility to the football field.

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Simpson had his pick of universities that showed up at his doorstep wanting him to play on their football team, as ESPN chronicled. He eventually settled on the University of Southern California down the coast.

He ran through and around defenses, and won the Heisman Trophy award for best college player in 1968.

There was no question amongst NFL talent evaluators about the special skills Simpson brought to the table. The Buffalo Bills made the USC star the first overall pick in the 1969 NFL Draft.

Simpson would rush for over 10,000 yards with the Bills, including a 2,000 yard campaign that garnered him MVP honors in 1973.

After nine seasons with the Bills, Simpson would leave Buffalo to return to San Francisco to play for the 49ers. He wasn’t quite at the peak of his powers as he was earlier in his NFL career, but still churned out over 1,000 yards in two seasons with the 49ers.

Doors were wide open for Simpson to continue making significant money after his NFL playing career was over. He had a magnetic personality, and could light up a room or a television screen, which SF Gate probed more deeply in 1995.

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He had endorsement deals with Hertz, Wilson footballs, TreeSweet orange juice, Napa Naturals, and other companies as well. Yahoo Finance went into particular detail about his arrangement with Hertz.

As one might imagine, Simpson was also in high demand for NFL coverage. After all, why wouldn’t fans want to hear from one of the greatest running backs of all time? Simpson would be an integral part of Monday Night Football coverage, as well as NBC’s coverage of the league.

His seemingly perfect life would take a very dark turn in June 1994. Ron Goldman and Nicole Brown Simpson, O.J.’s ex-wife, were found dead outside her condo. The former NFL star was supposed to turn himself in, but attempted to evade the cops with friend Al Cawlings in the Bronco. After a dramatic chase, O.J. was eventually brought into custody. The Los Angeles Times detailed the entire sequence.

There wasn’t anywhere a person could go in the mid 1990s to avoid this simultaneously scandalous and horrific storyline. Media coverage was locked in for many months, as they attempted to analyze every angle of the incident. It later became known as “The Trial Of The Century”, according to many outlets, including Fox News.

Ultimately, Simpson was acquitted on murder charges, which elicited a strong public response. It didn’t seem to make sense how he could get off without punishment, considering that there was a lot of evidence that connected him with the murder of Goldman and Brown-Simpson. He was supposed to pay a judgment to the victim’s families, but would avoid jail time. The Washington Post's Vincent Bugliosi listed five reasons why Simpson got off.

Even though Simpson received a slap on the wrist in the eyes of many, his problems would continue. He would accrue significant debt and was not able to pay taxes he owed. He would also find trouble with the law with regard to speeding on his boat, and has his home searched for drugs, although none were found. CNN and the Huffington Post reported on these stories.

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Simpson was involved in an armed robbery of a Las Vegas hotel room in 2007, where he wanted to take back sports memorabilia that he claimed was stolen from him. The jury did not let him off this time, as he was found guilty of charges that included armed robbery and kidnapping. In 2008, Simpson was sentenced to 33 years in prison.